Celebrations Traditional Feastshistory of the Hawaiian Luau
Celebrations, feasts and social interaction is almost as old as mankind itself. Luaus in particular, are exciting, fun and filled to the brim with Hawaiian music, scrumtious Hawaiian foods, dancing and activies which pay homage to one of the friendliest islands in the world, Hawaii. A myriad of visitors to the Hawaiian Islands, ensure they schedule a luau into their trip. They’re so very unique and certainly enhance one’s visit.
They’ve become a mainstay of the Hawaiian culture as well as a drawcard as far as tourism is concerned. Yet a plethora of people have no knowledge of where and how luaus originated. Learning a little of the history which surrounds these events is a must. One will then appreciate their adventure a whole lot more. Read on to learn the history of the Hawaiian luau.
Hawaiians are well known for celebrating life in itself and specific major events. They’re said to be the friendliest people on earth. Yet they too had their wars and horrors as well. Thus, in ancient times luaus were celebrated around feasts in order to pay reverence and respect to war heroes. They then led to celebrations of other specific events such as the birth of a child.
Captain James Cook is said to have started Hawaii’s modern history as far as luaus are concerned as there is no written documentation of them prior to his arrival in 1779. Yet tales of Polynesian history were told in the form of dance (hula) or through chants. The luaus were said to then be carried on as a tradition in order to honour their gods during major events in their lives.
These early celebrations were called ‘aha’ainas,’ which translates as ‘gatherings for meals’. Traditional luaus were focused on symbolism and tradition. The Hawaiians also looked upon luaus as an event which united everyone as one instead of separate characters. Many of the luau foods were said to represent specific things such as honour, strength, virtues, goals and fruition.
Yet one of the key elements of luaus was to share prosperity, good health, freedom, life and safety with family and friends. They were also used for celebrating the completion of a brand new canoe, home or a successful harvest. The Hawaiians shared their bounty with each other at luaus and never gave asecond thought to not doing so.
Many historians state that back in 1856, these celebrations were finally given a name which meant much more than a feast, thus they were called luaus. Yet a host of historians are adamant that luaus came about in order to celebrate the crowning of the King of Hawaii in 1819. Yet they were still called ‘aha’ainas’ at that specific stage in life.
When the King of Hawaii was crowned, the kapu system was abolished. Thus, men and women were finally permitted to eat together and share the very same food. Up until that specific time, bananas, coconut several species of fish and port was forbidden to the females. Men and women ate separately during meals, prior to that the end of the kapu system.
Therefore, luaus became a much treasured custom which was to play a significant role in the life of the islanders. When King Kamehameha II ended that particular religious practice, he feasted with the females to signify the major societal changes. One should also note that traditional luau was eaten on the floor over leaves of the hala tree (otherwise known as lauhala). These were weaved together to make mats.
The word luau actually refers to the taro leaf in Hawaiian and Polynesian languages. The taro leaf has long been in use for wrapping foods in when cooking hangi style. Hangi style cooking is when one uses a pit for cooking and wrapped food is place on hot stones then covered with earth. Thus authentic luaus are intended to be somewhat primitive affairs.
These days, the Hawaiian luau has become synonymous with backyard beach parties. One doesn’t need to ask why considering luaus lend themselves to celebrating all that summer entails, sun, fun, celebrating life, picturesque surrounds, tropical scenic delights, and enjoying oneself with family and friends whilst the warmer days remain. Most luaus of modern day features entertainment, Hawaiian fare feasts, hula and fire dancing, ukulele playing and sing-a-longs.
